


sometimes reality is better than fantasy

by sugdensquad



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, Speeches, Wedding Fluff, but it's more fluff but in a beautifully painful way, i mean i say fluff, so like every other thing i've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 08:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8790643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugdensquad/pseuds/sugdensquad
Summary: Robert makes a surprise speech after the wedding ceremony and decides to say all the things he was afraid to say out loud before.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here you go guys! Pure fluff but also _super_ emotional (because who doesn't love that?!)

“Settle down, it’s speech time!” Chas called over the laughter and music, clinking a teaspoon against the side of her champagne glass. Everyone quietened and Aaron and Robert immediately came forwards, knowing what was coming. 

“Mum, we agreed-” Aaron began, eyes wide with panic, but Chas shook her head.

“You don’t have to say anything, love, I know you don’t want to,” she replied before turning to her son-in-law. “Robert?”

Robert stepped forward, taking a piece of paper from his inside jacket pocket. “Thanks, Chas,” he said quietly, ignoring Aaron’s confused stare.  

“Right, so... I’m going to try and keep this as short and sweet as I can because I know everyone hates stuff like this and it’s not going to be a picnic for me either,” he began and everyone shared a gentle laugh as they formed a semi-circle around the happy couple.

“Firstly, I want to say thank you to everyone for coming. It means a lot to both of us that you could celebrate Aaron and I getting married- That still sounds weird, doesn’t it?” He cut himself off, turning to Aaron with a grin. Aaron just smiled back shyly, still looking utterly confused as to what was going on. 

“Anyway, I’m sure most people here are still pinching themselves, wondering how we managed to get this far considering everything that came before. You’re not the only ones, I’m pretty sure me and Aaron have questioned it just as much!” he joked and everyone laughed again, including Aaron this time, though he still looked nervous. Robert quickly reached for his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze before he continued. “But we have made it, despite all the odds, and I wouldn’t be much of a groom if I didn’t say just a few words about the man I married today.”

He turned back to Aaron whose cheeks were already flushing crimson, now realising exactly why he had been kept in the dark about Robert’s surprise speech.

“And I should say sorry now because I know you hate being the centre of attention but you’re just going to have to put up with it for a few minutes more,” he said, giving him a quick wink and then laughing when Aaron hid his face behind his hands. The piece of paper he was holding shook a little and Robert quickly began, knowing that neither he nor Aaron were going to want to prolong this any more than was strictly necessary.

“When I came back to this village, my home, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. In fact, I thought I already  _had_ what I wanted,” he said, the regret and shame thick at the back of his throat. He saw Victoria shift uncomfortably, as did a few others, and he could feel his own skin prickling a little at the memory of how he and Aaron’s relationship had started. It seemed like a world away now.

“I didn’t,” he continued, more forcefully. “I was wrong, as wrong as anyone can be about themselves. And it took Aaron to show me that, something I will forever be grateful to him for. But he did more for me than that, so much more. He loved me, and not in spite of all my many flaws, but including them. He loved me even when he shouldn’t have, helped me when literally everyone else would have turned their backs... and did. He understood me better than anyone else, could read me back to front without me saying a word. I’ve never... sorry...” 

He had to stop suddenly, his voice shivering as the tears pricked behind his eyes. Chas took a tentative step forwards but he shook his head and swallowed hard.  _He would get through this._

“I’ve never had that with anyone, didn’t actually think it was something two people could have. And if you’d told me two years ago that I would want to spend the rest of my life with Aaron  _Dingle_ **,** well...”

“Oi!” Cain shouted, interrupting him, and everyone broke out into spontaneous laughter. Robert grinned back at him before continuing.

“I wouldn’t have believed you, I can promise you that,” he said, now turning towards Aaron, who was visibly shaking. They were both struggling to keep it together, and Robert was almost glad he wasn’t the only one so affected. But then, they had always been so in tune with each other’s emotions - sometimes Robert wondered if they weren’t just one soul in two bodies.

“There are times, genuinely, when I can’t believe you’re real. I look at you, look at what we have, and I wonder how it’s possible that this is my life now. I’d almost think it was a dream but honestly? There’s no way I could have dreamt any of this... because I could never have believed someone like you was possible for someone like me.”

He stopped again, seeing Aaron’s eyes now glassy, and forced himself to keep going. 

“You’re too kind and too gentle and I’ve hurt you... I’ve hurt you so many times now and it still scares me that you came back. You’re this unstoppable force, Aaron, stronger than anyone should be, braver than anyone I have ever known. I look at you and... I don’t understand why you would stay-”

“Robert...” Aaron whispered, but the word was choked off and Robert just smiled at him, reassuring him that he was fine, that  _they_ were fine. 

“I don’t understand it, and maybe I never will, but I’m learning to just be thankful that you’re here, that you love me even though you probably shouldn’t. I didn’t think I would ever have this, I didn’t know that I could... but I want to thank you for proving me wrong.”

He was coming undone, could feel the threads inside him snapping as his chest pressed inwards, his breath coming in shallow gasps between the words. But he only had one more thing to say and he’d be damned if he stopped now before he had a chance to say it.

“I love you, more than I could ever possibly say, but I hope I’ll be able to prove it to you for the next however many years we’ve got together. And I promise you, no matter what happens from here on in, no matter how much of an idiot I am, there won’t ever be a time when I don’t love you, Aaron.”

He felt the first drip of tears against his cheeks and then Aaron was in front of him, pulling him down into a crushing embrace which took the last breath from him. He buried his face into Aaron’s neck, felt his shoulders shake a little, and pressed a gentle kiss to the underside of Aaron’s jaw. 

“You could have warned me you were planning that,” Robert heard him say, his voice in tatters. He pulled him closer.

“Would’ve spoiled the surprise,” he returned and they both laughed, still trembling. When they broke apart, everyone began to applaud, and when they turned they found most were sniffing or dabbing at the corners of their eyes. Vic’s face was hidden against Adam’s shoulder, evidently struggling to hold back the tears. Chas rushed towards them both, wrapped them into a hug, and then smacked Robert on the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” he exclaimed, rubbing at his bicep which he felt sure was going to be sporting a bruise by tomorrow. Why were all the Dingles so terrifyingly strong?

Chas glared at him but it was strangely affectionate. “You should have told me to keep some of my Kleenex back for the reception, or I wouldn’t have used them all during the ceremony,” she said, smiling now and trying her best to remove the coal black smudges from beneath her eyes. 

“Sorry,” he offered, more focused now on Aaron who was tucked beneath his arm, staring up at him.

“You gonna have a go at me as well?” 

Aaron tried to laugh but his smile wavered at the edges and Robert pulled him in tighter.

“It was a good speech,” was all Aaron said, quietly enough so only Robert heard, but they both knew he was saying far more than what just those words alone conveyed. They had always understood each other better than anyone.

The rest of the guests descended on them then, offering more congratulations and patting Robert on the back for a ‘job well done’. Even Cain gave him a nod of approval, and Aaron stretched up to whisper in Robert’s ear: “That’s you properly welcomed into the family, then.”

Robert just grinned back at him before letting his husband go to talk to Adam and Vic who were currently sitting at a table with Liv. He spent a couple of minutes talking to Lisa and Belle, both of whom were gushing about how lovely they thought the speech was, and then he went to get another champagne glass, intending on joining Aaron. 

“Robert?”

He turned just in time to see Chas picking something up off the floor. “Yeah?”

“You dropped this, figured you’d want to keep it,” she replied, offering over the piece of paper he had been holding while he made his speech. It must have fell out of his pocket when everyone had come to speak to him. 

“Oh... no, it’s fine. You can just put it in the recycling,” he answered with a knowing smile before he began to make his way through the crowds.

Chas watched him manoeuvre himself passed Moira and Cain before he slipped in easily next to her son who immediately wrapped an arm around Robert’s waist. She smiled and unfolded the piece of paper, intending on reading the speech again, but her mouth fell open as she smoothed out the crumpled edges, realisation dawning on her.

It was blank.


End file.
